Monday Night Football (Nashville, TN)

In what became the coldest game ever played at LP Field the Steelers beat the Titans 27-24.  The theme of the second half was Le'Veon Bell running right down the middle.  He ran for 196 yards between the tackles which was a season high for all running backs through week 11.

It was definitely nice to get a taste of Pittsburgh in the South and we even got to attend a tailgate with one of Jolene's coworkers.  The opportunity to pregame with some ribs and lobster in a group of warm tents made the evening go even better.

Although we did pretty well dressing in layers of clothes I will still seriously consider dressing like Chewbacca for my next winter game.  I didn't even know that was an option until now!





 

Ipswich, Suffolk, United Kingdom (Business Trip)

Another example of how the world is a small place.  I had the chance to head back to Ipswich for the week to meet with a group I had worked with in the past.  More importantly it gave me the chance to hit all my favorite pubs (Ploughman's) and restaurants (Zaika) and to stay at one of our favorite hotels (Salthouse Harbour Hotel).

It was definitely interesting to wander the town, a place that had only a couple years ago seemed so foriegn no longer felt strange at all.  Below is a re-creation of an infamous picture taken originally two years prior.  Something about this giant gold scorpion tells me this is a place I could live long term.

Adios Texas



My last day helping Texas was Halloween (I actually dressed up as a doctor for my final outing and unofficial roll-off party).  As a symbol to represent the end of an era full of many bad and not completely awful memories and to put closure to the experience I carved a good ole fashioned Texas jack-o-lantern.











There were definely a handful of great people that made the experience memorable.

Jolene and I will of course always remember our trips down to Austin and San Antonio during the midst of the busiest times at work.  Soaking up Texas history but in reality just down there to get some good Mexican / Tex-Mex food at any meal we could.


A special thanks to Torchy Tacos, The Austin Bats, The Alamo, and the Hyatt Regency Austin.

Dave and Mere got Married (Collegeville, PA)

My brother David and my new sister Meredith got married this Fall.

It was a beautiful wedding and it was full of fun people from both sides who have made them what they are today.

The fun was contagioius...

Holler Party 2014 (Theta, TN)

We were lucky enough to get invited back to our second Holler Party with Jolene's Nashville work friends.  It's nice to get out of the city and party in the country.

While it's suppose to be a time to visit with friends, we also stopped by to visit with all the animals, and even sneak in a horseback ride.

Let's be honest with ourselves though... we were there to see the dogs. 

Accidental Rock Collection (Part 2) ... Okay, it's not an accident anymore.

Jolene found me a shelf to put them on so I figured I should fill the empty spots.

1. Japan – From near the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
2. Peru – Found during a hike outside of Aguas Calientes in the Amazon Rain Forest.
3. Brazil – Rio de Janeiro toward the north end of Copacabana Beach.
4. Peru – Salkantay Pass in the Andes at an altitude of nearly 3 miles.
5. Dominican Republic – Edge of forest/beach line outside of Punta Cana.
6. USA - Birmingham, Alabama – Ruffner Mountain
7. USA - Atlanta, Georgia – Kennesaw Mountain
8. USA - Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
9. USA - Southport, North Carolina – Oak Island Beach

Republica Dominicana - Honeymoon

As a change of pace I was asked to plan a relaxing vacation with no activities and no challenges.  My idea to take a boat trip through all the Scandinavian countries and be dropped off in Russia for a trip to the Kremlin was promptly vetoed.

It was brought to my attention that previous trips had included a semi-serious case of altitude sickness while hiking in the Andes, being escorted via an armed caravan through the Sinai Peninsula and then stranded there when our bus died, and then of course the repeated detainment at the hands of the UK Border Patrol.  It's no wonder I've lost the right to plan future excursions.

 

The Dominican Republic trip was great.  We stayed on the resort, hit the beach, drank, and ate.  Definitely the most relaxing trip I can remember.
 

Got Hitched! - May 24th, 2014

The day finally came.  We traveled back to Pittsburgh and tied the knot in front of most of our family and many of our close friends.  We had an outdoor ceremony with beautiful weather, a lovely venue aided by an arbor made by Jolene's dad, and documented by a photographer who was enchantingly spirited.

I found through the process that it was important to stay calm and remember it's your day.  Focus on what is important to the two of you and just let everything else fall as it may. 

In the end the people you who have grown up depending on will be there to support you and celebrate the event with you which is the entire point.


My little brother during a great toast informed the crowd that perhaps I haven't been hugged enough as I grew up.  Later in the evening a close friend and now also my brother in law inspired the crowd to help me catch up on hugs.

We laughed, reminisced, and danced with our favorite people until the day was over and we'll remember it forever ...


Tokyo, Japan - こんにちは

I tricked the company into letting me go to Asia... there was no way I wasn't going to take the opportunity to experience some it while I was out there.  Since Jolene and I have a beach trip coming up soon this year it didn't seem right to go to Boracay.  I ended up choosing Tokyo for a long weekend in the middle of my business trip.














While out there I went to the Tokyo Tower, attended a tea ceremony, cruised the Sumida river, toured the Asakusa Kannon Temple, and walked the Tsukiji Fish Market.  Most of this was with the help of a local tour group but I did get out on the town by myself as well.

I wandered through the Shinjuku area where I was staying, walked the outside grounds of the Imperial Palace, and even accidentally had lunch at a sushi restaurant on the 51st floor of Sumotomi Tower.

While it was fun to find a bus to take me downtown through a brief but quick snowstorm it was definitely not nearly as intense as figuring out the Tokyo subway system.  It turns out that I do not speak Japanese at all.  Taking it back and forth to tour the city really consisted of me hitting a bunch of random buttons on a ticket machine, feeding it money, and then running from train to train until I heard a stop that sounded familiar.  The good news is I always eventually found my final destination.

I definitely enjoyed Tokyo.  All the activities I did called out the fascinating history and culture of the Japanese people that I won't soon forget.

 

さようなら - Mike

Manila, Philippines (Business Trip)

A long overdue business trip to Manila has finally happened.  It was great to not only meet my current team but also get to meet up and personally thank others that have helped me in the past as well.

It was definitely like the world flipped upside down to be sitting next to all the people who are usually just voices on the phone and all of a sudden the day to day people at my desk were only voices I caught briefly at the beginning and ending of their days.  It also turns out that I still tried to cover as much of the US business hours as possible leading to not nearly enough sleep over the two weeks.










The team, hotel staff, and taxi drivers were also very helpful in letting me practice the few local phrases I was learning (Magandang umaga, Salamat, Paalam).

Karaoke Outing

Colorful Jeepney!

The team took any possible chance to take me out for a meal as well.  There is a courtyard close to work that is setup to be like a Venetian plaza with a lot of good options.  Of course the team was always making sure I was getting the full experience so most meals included Filipino favorites (Balut, Pancit Guisado, Kare-Kare, Adobo, Lechon, Sisig, Crispy Pata).  Sometimes things were ordered where I was expected to try some but then most of the team would skip it! 

I didn't get a ton of time to tour around but did see plenty of cool jeepney's while sitting in traffic or being cut off on the journey from Makati to McKinley Hill's on a daily basis.

 

I did of course make sure to study up on the history of the Philippines before heading out there and made sure to go to the old city center, "Intramuros" during my free time which has some remnants of Spanish colonization.  I walked around the old city walls and even sat in for part of mass at San Agustin in Tagalog.  I also toured the National History Museum, walked through Rizal Park, and got a chance to walk down the coast of Manila Bay.  It wasn't until days later that my team let me know they had assumed I was going to tour with a group of people and would have suggested I NOT go by myself.  Other than the hot hot sun I never felt in danger.

Dave and Mere do Nashville

The counter covered in fancy toiletries, an enormous box of chocolates, a sneaky pair of ceramic mice, and luggage stacked in the living room. This can mean only one thing. Dave and Mere have made it to Nashville.  One of them brought their belt buckle and boots while the other learning from his past mistakes left his cardigan at home and showed up in his plaid shirt.  Below are the highlights from the trip.

 

Food

• Peg Leg Porker BBQ - Dave of course met the owner after realizing he recognized him from various cooking shows.
• Bolton's Tennessee Hot Chicken - The hottest our group went was medium.  It was good but it just about killed me.

Music

• Station Inn - Caught some bluegrass while visiting which was on the top of the list of priorities for our guests.  American Drive was definitely a solid band and I'm sure they'll remember the simple but loud request from our group to "slappa da bass".
• Tootsies Orchid Lounge - Famous Broadway bar where Jolene made her point that the fiddle is more important than the banjo.  
• Honky Tonk Central - I never get to go here anymore because I always show up late.  Apparently this doesn't stop the rest of the group from heading down there for some live music without me.  
• Rippy's - We could only prevent the ordering of apple moonshine shots for so long.  We also spent our time dodging eye contact with the scariest band groupie we've ever seen.

Broaden Your Horizon

• Johnny Cash Museum - This is a relatively new addition to Nashville but they've done a great job with letting you feel you understand "The Man in Black" by the time you leave.

"Sometimes I am two people.  Johnny is the nice one.  Cash causes all the trouble.  They fight." - Johnny Cash

• Radnor Lake / Garnier Ridge Hike - I'm sure at least part of the group is still cursing me for putting this on the agenda.  The fresh air was a good idea for everybody and this is an easy location to get to so close to the city.

Brewery Visits

• Untapped App (all we need is an app that congratulates you as you test and rate beers you are having for the first time).  We should probably make sure Dave deletes this off his phone sometime soon. 
• Jackalope Brewing - We snuck in for some samples and got to watch others attempt to win a set of Brewery Highland Games.  One guy in particular was covered in dirt even though no challenge required rolling around on the ground.
• Fat Bottom Brewing - We got a tour from the owner Ben and were blown away by his passion for the business.  I can honestly say our group of four dominated the tour with the most questions I have ever heard asked to a brew master.

A great time ... as usual.  Book a repeat trip for next year... Cheers.





 

Working in Texas

While we are not ready to give up on Nashville, my new job is now in Austin.  I'm spending my weeks down there in what can only be classified as a love/hate relationship with the state of Texas.  The good news is much like Nashville, you are constantly surrounded by good music, good food, and good people.

I'm hoping now that I've gotten a chance to reboot over the holidays and have gotten a better grasp of what we are trying to get done, that the two of us (Texas and I) will have a more productive 2014.